NBA Playoffs: The 30 most unforgettable individual playoff runs
By Corey Rausch
NBA: The 30 most unforgettable individual playoff runs: 5. LeBron James (2015)
The 2010s were the decade that LeBron James built his resume to move into the conversation as the greatest of all time. In 2015, James was in his first season back with the Cleveland Cavaliers and coming off four straight trips to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.
During the playoff run, James averaged 30.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. In the first round, the Boston Celtics were no match for the Cavaliers, though they did knock Kevin Love out for the long haul after Kelly Olynyk injured his shoulder. Next came a six-game series against the Chicago Bulls.
The Conference Finals matched the Cavaliers up with the best team from the regular season, the Atlanta Hawks. They dismissed them in four games with ease and James averaged 30.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Unfortunately, the next round presented the greatest challenge yet: the Golden State Warriors.
This was the first of five straight trips to the Finals for the Warriors. They were the team of destiny. Combined with the injury to love and the eventual injury to Kyrie Irving made the challenge insurmountable for James. He did not go down without a fight, averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He was so impressive that some even voted for him as Finals MVP In a loss.